Portman's star has rarely been higher in the Hollywood firmament after winning a best actress Oscar for 2010's Black Swan and it was recently revealed that users of IMDb view her profile more than any other actor. Jane Got a Gun also benefits from a screenplay by Brian Duffield, which made the 2011 Black List of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood. Portman is down to play the lead, a farmer's wife whose outlaw husband returns home bloodied and near death after his gang turn on him. When the miscreants reappear to finish the job, Jane must enlist the help of an old flame to defend her life and home. Portman will also take a producer's credit.

The film is currently at the centre of a bidding war in Cannes, where it is being touted to investors. Ramsay is also planning an ambitious (though low-budget) science fiction-themed adaptation of Moby-Dick, though it must be said the Portman project looks like it may stand a better chance of reaching cinemas.